The Minister of Solid Minerals Development and Chairman of the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Oladele Alake, has called for stronger regional cooperation among African nations to position the continent as a formidable force in global mineral supply chains.
It said that Africa must urgently redefine its role in the global mineral economy, stressing that such transformation can only be achieved through coordinated regional efforts rather than isolated national strategies.
Alake, who spoke at the Kenya Mining Investment Conference and Exhibition 2026, said that Africa stands at the centre of a new industrial era driven by critical minerals, clean energy technologies, digital transformation and advanced manufacturing.
He noted that while Africa possesses vast deposits of lithium, cobalt, manganese, graphite, gold, copper, nickel, and rare earth elements, the continent continues to capture only a fraction of the economic value generated by its resources. Alake stressed that no African country, acting alone, could fully maximise opportunities emerging from the rapidly evolving global minerals market.
He, therefore, urged African nations to harmonise mining policies, facilitate cross-border infrastructure, promote intra-African trade and strengthen regional mineral value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
